Representing the first crop from young vines - with a tiny admixture of Carignan - Hegarty-Chamans' 2008 Mourvedre may or may not be bottled under that name, but it is almost sure to be classified as Vin de Pays, since the panels authorizing the Minervois appellation repeatedly declined it. Smoky, gamy notes abound, along with fresh purple plum; pungent impingement of herbs; and the tartness of plum skin serving for finishing invigoration in a persistently juicy but relatively lightweight and distinctly astringent bottling. I would plan to drink this within the next year or two. Proprietors John Hegarty and Philippa Crane - along with their cellarmaster-vineyard manager Samuel Berger are turning out many impressive wines. But these are not getting any easier to keep track of than when I reported at length about this estate in issue 183. In fairness, the team here is conscientiously striving to assemble from a considerable array of raw materials those blends treated in those manners that will best showcase the potential of any given vintage. At the same time, they don't want to mislead their customers by utilizing the same label for wines that are quite different in conception, and where quality has proven inconsistent they almost unhesitatingly declassify. As a result, in addition to cuvees bearing the titles "No. 1" through "No. 3" - not all of which are bottled each vintage - there are increasingly many other cuvee designations, and that's not counting the complication that some wines do and others do not receive the Minervois appellation. Experience is tempering not just the cellar practices but also the mix of vines that this experimental-minded team biodynamically cultivates. When the property was purchased nine years ago it included ten hectares of Syrah, for instance, but all except three have been ripped up and replaced with other varieties, as the line between profound ripeness and over-ripeness with that grape in these sites proved both fine and elusive. Berger indicated that he was unlikely to essay a cuvee "No. 1" from 2010, because in his words, "while there was plenty of fruitiness, the phenolic maturation was not sufficiently advanced ? and the Syrah - especially the portion on schist - suffered drought stress, so that the maturation simply plateaued even though the potential alcohol rose. I can't explain," he adds, "why it is that there was less stress on our vineyards in the dry heat of 2009. But all of our varieties achieved excellent ripeness and fine tannins in that vintage," which he compares with 2007. Not all of the blends for 2009 had been determined, but the individual lots that I tasted over and beyond the terrific No. 1 and No. 2 cuvees left little doubt that whatever is bottled from 2009 at the lower end of this estate's price list will merit serious consumer attention. Incidentally, I had the opportunity to taste most of the finished wines here both freshly-opened and from bottles that had stood open for several hours.Importers include ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, Doral, FL; tel. (305) 470-0039 and Vintage Trading Inc., New York, NY; tel. (732) 928-7112
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